Fifth Myst Game Brings The Series To Conclusion

If you believe the developers at Cyan Worlds, this is the last Myst game that will ever be created. And Myst V: End of Ages (Ubisoft) is a fitting end to an amazing journey.

The Myst series had already taken tentative steps toward more modern technology, such as the ability to explore the various worlds in a three-dimensional shooter style. You can do the same here or use a classic point-and-click interface, and switching from mode to mode can be done on the fly.

Of course, the beauty of the various worlds you visit goes beyond description, from a snowy glacial prison to a giant space observatory planet drifting in perpetual night between two nebulae and a giant illuminated ring world.

And all the worlds are rendered in real time. You will see insects buzzing around, flying creatures and even realistic weather. You will also meet people and, thanks to new facial-rendering techniques, you can read the emotion on their faces.

You can even communicate with the worlds' creatures. There are large antlike workers on the worlds and, if you learn the right symbols, you can command them to do things for you. Simply scratch your command on a tablet, drop it and step away. The creatures will appear, try to read the tablet and follow your command. Learning how to speak with the workers will help you throughout the game.

Of course Myst is all about puzzles, and Myst V does not disappoint. The puzzles here are like the ones in the original game (and less like the first sequel, Riven) in that it does not take a team from MIT to solve them. Working alone, I was able to complete the game in about 16 hours, without looking up too many hints.

Ending the Myst series is a bit like saying goodbye, or "Shorah," to an old friend, but wrapping up all the unanswered questions and letting the series retire on such a high note makes it all worthwhile.